Residential development on Crystal Lake City Council agenda

Crystal Lake City Council will hear a proposal at Tuesday’s meeting for a 97-unit residential development on the Hines Lumber property.

Over the years there have been several attempts by developers to start building on the site, located at 95 E. Crystal Lake Ave.

In 2006 it was approved for the Hummel project: a mixed-use development with 170 condominium units and 14,248 square feet of commercial space. But the recession shut it down.

Then, in 2016 and in 2020, separate conceptual plans for mixed-use developments were proposed. In both cases, the projects’ developers changed their minds, city staff said in a memo attached to the agenda.

The new proposal is a joint venture between Hamilton Partners and Harlem Irving. Their plan is for a four-story apartment building with 46 units and three-story townhomes comprising 51 units.

While the apartment buildings would include one and two-bedroom units, the townhome units would be a mix of two- and three-bedroom units, including a two-car garage for each one.

The proposed project also would include private green spaces where residents can gather and an outdoor seating area to “buffer the parking lot” from the street, the memo said. Indoor amenities are also included.

Crystal Lake’s Planning and Zoning Commission felt a fully residential development was acceptable for the downtown location, according to the memo. The architectural style for the townhomes and other architectural elements for the buildings are both subjects city staff will present to the council on Tuesday.

No official vote is set to be taken by the council, as the development is up for discussion only.

The city council is set to meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday at 100 W. Woodstock St.